Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désemprisonner

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The English translation of the French verb “désemprisonner” is “to release from prison” or “to set free from prison.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “désemprisonner” is: day-zahm-pree-zoh-nay.

The word “désemprisonner” is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning to undo or reverse) and the verb “emprisonner” (to imprison). It is often used in everyday French to express the act of freeing someone from prison or releasing them from captivity.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), which is primarily used in written language and formal contexts, “désemprisonner” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je désemprisonnai (I released from prison)
  • Tu désemprisonnas (You released from prison)
  • Il/elle/on désemprisonna (He/she/one released from prison)
  • Nous désemprisonnâmes (We released from prison)
  • Vous désemprisonnâtes (You released from prison)
  • Ils/elles désemprisonnèrent (They released from prison)

Example sentences in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Je désemprisonnai mon ami après qu’il eut purgé sa peine.
    (I released my friend after he had served his sentence.)

  2. Le juge désemprisonna l’accusé faute de preuves suffisantes.
    (The judge released the defendant due to insufficient evidence.)

  3. L’association humanitaire désemprisonna plusieurs militants politiques.
    (The humanitarian organization released several political activists.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, and in most daily conversations, the compound past tense (Passé composé) is preferred.

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of désemprisonner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désemprisonnai Je désemprisonnai les otages. I released the hostages.
Tu désemprisonnas Tu désemprisonnas les prisonniers. You released the prisoners.
Il désemprisonna Il désemprisonna le condamné. He released the condemned.
Elle désemprisonna Elle désemprisonna les captives. She released the captives.
On désemprisonna On désemprisonna les détenus. One released the detainees.
Nous désemprisonnâmes Nous désemprisonnâmes les fugitifs. We released the fugitives.
Vous désemprisonnâtes Vous désemprisonnâtes les retenus. You released the detainees.
Ils désemprisonnèrent Ils désemprisonnèrent les criminels. They released the criminals.
Elles désemprisonnèrent Elles désemprisonnèrent les accusées. They (feminine) released the accused.

Other Conjugations for Désemprisonner.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner (You’re reading it right now!)

Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désemprisonner

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Désemprisonner – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

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